As a 71 year old Canadian outdoorsman I must say I agree with you Matti when you compare yourself to your 20 year old self. This tent great for a group hot tent lodge where a group can eat meals and dry off gear . I think the key to this type of camping is a good saw! Chainsaw is best if you don’t have to pack it otherwise I really like the Silky saw. You need a pile wood to keep the tent affective and that’s a lot of work in itself.
There are a number of very small battery powered chainsaws available; and relatively light power stations to recharge them. But that doesn't really sound like a wilderness adventure......solar panels on the sleds??......
Supermarkets sell mesh bags for fruit & veg.(lighter than the paperbag ) These mesh bags are great for camping & hanging stuff up in tent. & cheap Alison❤
When you say in the beginning you cannot pitch it so easily as a Hilleberg, please remember, the Gamme is almost a copy of the Hilleberg Atlas that exists for many years. You need to compare the Atlas pitch to a Gamme pitch, not with a tunnel version. I also have a Tentipi and I need to agree they are very tight inside. Greetings from a tent collector.
Hello Matti, about the small zipper: there you see that you are really the expert, who else can experience this behaviour? 😊 About the ‘cotton’ : it’s not breathing I do think, it’s more of absorption of the condensation making the material thicker and with a micro-thin layer of condensation on the inside just like the old-fashioned cotton tents. Don’t touch it, they do than tend to leak. 😊 About ‘normal’ tents: they are not to me: they are tents you are used to have now a days with the Hillebergs. And they are very much more lightweight and more compact of course! As you said. I do think Hilleberg Atlas is the competitor but far more expensive yes, I bought a second hand and slept in it for 8 days in heavy winds and rain too and love it! But my older version misses in the rooftop the chimney whole (or anywhere), newer models do have that at the sidewall. So it’s more a gas stove tent with very good ventilation. I like that of that Nortent: the chimney. But on the ice you don’t have wood anyway unless you take it with you what is only doable for 1 or two days? What do you think? I do like your expert, real expert reviews a lot and do learn from it! Greetings again from the less demanding Netherlands. 😊 Onno Nugteren. Ah and about the Hilleberg Atlas and your tent: I really think they do need very good long 30 cm pegs and of course snow pegs in wintertime. Mine on sand ground really needed it, the original 18 cm pegs are really not good combined with these big storm tents.
Thanks!!! Yes… cotton absorbs condensation and push it out through the fabric. I think Netherlands can be really rough! In winter it must be very hard climate close to the coast… much harder than our cold and dry winters. /Matti
Good vid Matti. Nortent is sending out a lot of examples of their designs. Innovative to say the least. I like the toggles for the doors. But there is room for improvement in areas you mentioned. Some have had condensation issues. If you aren't using a stove in rainy humid conditions it can be an issue. Dripping. It also takes a couple trips to "winter in" the material. it tightens up after it has been wet through. However most issues are small and can be updated. I live in snake country for 10 months a year and I want my doors sealed and also like heavy duty YKK zippers, they work. In an extreme environment there is no room for error. We stake our lives on our tents.
Snake land… that must be terrible!!! Have you ever heard about roof tent or caravan??? 🤣 I would never be so brave that I would camp in snake land!!! /Matti
@@JOKKMOKKGUIDERNA Yes, truck camper shell on my pickup. Still do some tent camping in clear areas. I killed a baby snake today while turning over some rocks. It was 70 F on Christmas eve. Rode my BMW motorcycle today with out a coat. Crazy. Had a lot of 20F frosty morning but other wise clear and a drought. Pet the dogs.
I love your reviews! This tent almost looks like a copy of Hilleberg Atlas. The Atlas is actually taller and larger in diameter compared to the gamme 6. I’ve been using the Atlas for the last 4 winters, I’ve installed a stove jack for my four dog titanium stove. So far so good, but I do like the idea of polycotton, that is in-between the Hilleberg material and real cotton canvas used in tipi that are used as fixed camp (like prospector tents).
Thanks! I have been looking at the Hilleberg Atlas because I have grown up with Hilleberg. But it's expensive and... installing (cutting) in a brand new Hilleberg tent... That's really brave!!! :-) Hilleberg is really great quality in all details usually ! / Matti
I have a Tentipi safir 7 poly cotton & just as you say, it is a lovely atmosphere inside. The stove dries everything & allows proper cooking too. The Safir version is made in sweden & of the highest quality. It's great when carried to the campsite in a boat ! Your's looks good too, I hope you enjoy it for many years. Thank you for posting.
The advantage of a tipi is the weight. But the advantage of this dome tent is that it is really roomy and perfect for use on snow. I have used tentipi a lot back in old days. I still have two of them. :-) /Matti
This season looks great. Almost all longer tours are sold out already. That’s great because then our economy is much more stable/safe. …and I know I will have a lot of great tours in front of me. 😀 /Matti
Love your review videos. Really like the look of the polycotton version. I have owned the silnylon version of this tent since 2020 and we use it for winters in the UK. Superb.
Kul att du tänkte på det. :-) Oftast så är det ju jag som skadeglatt skrattar åt våra gäster… ;-) Faktum är att vi har väldigt många återvändande gäster. Det är både roligt för att man lär känna trevligt folk men sedan, som du skriver, så är det ett erkännande att man gör något bra. För det tredje så är det väldigt enkelt med folk som redan vet vad vi skall göra. :-) /Matti
Nice quality tent and company. It can handle some strong weather and is very comfortable with a stove. Hilleberg tents are for much more extreme arctic wind and weather. Both nice products but different animals, made for different reasons.
NorTent make stoves, foldable both in titanium and foldable steel stove! With or without windows. They look great, haven't bought one so can't say anything about quality.
Useful review with sensible coverage of pros and cons. I also like Alison's comment below regarding mesh bags for camping - great idea. I use mesh shopping bags with handles - one with wash kit/towel - easy to hang up in camp shower area. One larger one to put washed-up dishes/pots/cutlery in - saves drying, just hang up and the wind does the rest :)
I’m 80 next week. Just had a hip replacement. So I am now considering a hot tent :-) in the next year. No longer in northern BC and Alaska. Use a pulka in winter. Tent seems heavy, but we’ll likely be two and with the stove may need that size. Recent past trips in Algonquin National Park in Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick. I’ll likely stick to more protected areas with some wood supply. But if this is my last winter tent, I would like it a bit tougher. Good points you raised.
Woowww... If you're 80 and still make outdoor life... I think that you really deserve a hot tent!!! Probably you also should look for a kind of outdoor chair. :-) 80 year old and still making this... Thats respect!!! ...and thanks! That makes me looking forward towards the future . :-) / Matti
Interesting you say that re chair. This past year I bought a Helinox chair. My daughter and her partner had chairs and she also got a cot. They mainly bike a 1-2 hundred kilometres from Montreal to where they often camp. Funny story: when I was 71, I backpacked the John Muir Trail 200+ miles in the Sierras of California 8-14,000' elevation. (I spent a couple of months backpacking and climbing there in 1972-1973.) So I had this 20+ year old little rather worn 2'x2'x 1/2" piece of ensolite closed cell foam (piece of an old full length sleeping pad) which I sat on on rocks, trees, wet ground. Met a couple where we camped, and he was tired of sitting on hard stuff and he offered me $100 for it. NO! Not $200 either. Not sure what my price might have been :-) That wasn't anything expensive but the item nice at the time. But also a related example of when you are out there days or weeks, sometimes you realize you should have gotten the right thing, even I it was what at the time seemed a quite high price. In certain conditions in a crazy storm, a Hilleberg tent just doesn't seem that overpriced :-) In recent years, channels like yours are a big help in choosing gear. Quite often you cannot trust the cheapest but don't necessarily need the most expensive. I still use a few items of gear from the 1970s - for a number of years that down was amazing - only recently maybe you can get that quality again and 900-1000 loft. A couple of years ago gave my daughter a -30F bag from then, she tends to sleep cold :-) For a period I was the manger of an outfit that made down and other gear in NYC. And also I still have one or two items from when I was a Boy Scout - but recently after a move or two, couldn't find my hand axe - sad. And it had a lot of sentimental value - when I was about 7, I accidentally cut the end off a finger - it got sewed back on so is fine :-) I've been careful since. @@JOKKMOKKGUIDERNA
Nortent now make mesh gear pockets. I just got two. I haven't used them yet but they will be very useful the next time I use my Nortent Gamme. Great videos Matti & Stina
You are the real deal Matti. I just use my Nortents in Northern England, but your playground is what they were made for. I have just starting using and reviewing the Lavvo 4, really great design. In fact I have just demonstrated pitching in wind. Pl❤ease have a look and I would really value your opinion. Do you think it would work for you? Coming on one of your trips has become an ambition of mine.
Thank you. Your English is very good and therefore your presentation was clear, concise and informative. I can see the merits of this tent as a “group lodge” and share your reservations concerning the delicate door zip (especially compared to Hilleberg). In terms of burn holes (you mentioned burning spruce), what are your thoughts of spark arrestors placed at the top of the flue pipe to prevent damage to the tent?
Hey Matti! Thanks for yet another nice review. I've been looking in to that one as an option for when I get really old but I'm not there quite yet :-) Have fun!
@@JOKKMOKKGUIDERNA 🤣 I’m sure it it 😀 Truth is I’m scared to get a hot tent at all cause I would probably get lazy and just sit by the stove inside…. I’m 50 this year and actually just got my first tent ⛺️ Got around with just a tarp before but…You are absolutely right about us old folks needing a little bit more comfort than the youngsters 💪
🤭 I never thought I'd hear Matti say that comfort will keep him camping as he ages. 👍 Sounds like a bomber tent (once they make the suggested door and zipper upgrades).
Hilleberg is made in Estonia, but with Materials from China and Korea. It's really not much of a difference between a Black/Red Label compared to Nortent. Hilleberg materials are pretty close to Nortent. Tunnel tents are also a Nortent product. I have 30 years of experience outdoors, its not a problem to pitch a Gamme in bad weather. I have never had a problem with Nortent zippers on either Gamme, Lavvo, Vern, Koie or other prototypes. Condesation is not a problem woth Silnylon on a Gamme due to 4 things: 1. Tent is big. 2. Gamme has good Ventilation features. 3. Gamme can be bought with inner tent or footprints which will reduce the condensation. Yes it actually helps in Winter too. 4. Its designed to also be a Hot tent. So if you use an oven less condensation.
I can see this being a game changer for your activities. Of course needs some wood. Wondering if you have some comments on a couple of things. 1) Vapour barrier liners - you are in a colder area than I am. Stephenson Warmlite have been keen on this for years. 2) You now use a hot tent some, and stay in huts frequently so you can dry things out quite a bit. I've done trips - 1,2,3 weeks with no chance for fires and rarely sun enough to dry anything even a little (like on a glacier). Typically you try to dry clothes with body heat. And keep your down really dry. Thoughts?
I haven’t really tried vapour barrier but I think that’s the only way to do it if you stay longer time without possibility to dry things out. Drying cloth on the body is great ! /Matti
Good review. I have Gamme 4, not PC. And condensation is something I do not like. I used fan to circulate hot air l, it helps a little. And about the design of the doors missing lower zipper, I think it is to ensure there are air coming in for stove burning in case user forget open the lower vent besides the door, a safety measurement.
For me, here in Alaska, outfitting and guiding trips... this tent would not fare well enough in terms of overall reliability. The doorways are not a good design... as well as the zips need to be the large, oversize class for easy, dependable access plus with having gloves or mits on. Not really liking the stove jack running straight up the centerline, but not a deal breaker. Lower vents are oddly inaccessable for open/close from inside. Cost appears somewhat excessive... for what it is. Floor is what it is... but could be better conceived layout wise and attachment wise. The doors are the big concern... too many folks come in and out of tents like the old Kool-Aid Man commercials --- LOL.
Matti... I have kept wondering how long your body could physically endure what you are engaging with... - setting up bulky tents like the one you are introducing, appears somewhat equally challenging, let alone handling fuel wood and the headache of managing the heating as such.... may the Almighty provide you with excellent health and strength and a long life - Merry X-Mas towards Nordkalotten / Norrbottens Län !
As long as you are healthy it’s not a big deal to work like this. I meet a dog mushers few weeks ago. 72 years old and he had just run one of his teams more than 60km. He was planning for a long distance race… but I also know mushers who ends up at the sofa before they turned into 60… and a few who never will be 40 because cancer took them… Not getting ill is a key… Merry X-mas!!! /Matti
Thanks for a great video. I have s Tentipi Zirkon 7 BP and this, or the Gamme 8, seems nicer in terms of usable space and volume. However, the door zipper concerns me. Can you explain more about the door. Is it left open at the bottom with the mosquto net for avoiding snow to blow in? Also the size of the zipper is a concern. Hopefully Nortent make some improvements. Hälsningar från Boden
One negative about these Nortents is that they can only handle wind speeds up to 140 mph, whereas Hillebergs can handle up to 320 😂. This guy just uses Nortent and Hilleberg, damn talk about having great taste, and only settling for the best!!! Hey do you ever wish that you got the larger one, the Gamme 8 PC?
Hello my outdour digital friend :-) something else... are you never afraid of bears? I know they are rare their until now, but with climate change they might wander around more? What are your thoughts? Greetings from the Netherlands, Onno Nugteren.
Not living far from Matti & Stina we have brown bears coming within 300 yards of our house every spring. But unlike in the US and Canada our European bears tend to be VERY shy. You see their tracks and we and our dogs know where they usually take the first snack of the season ... but you hardly ever see the bears - they see us of course. In Sweden here are much more incidents with moose or even with domestic horses hurting people seriously than bears.
@@onnonugteren2935 It is no thing at all. We use no bear canisters for food to hang them in the trees and we happily prepare food inside the tent when the weather is bad. The worst thing that ever happened to friends of mine was that a lemming broke into the tent and ate cookies and made a mess of a roll of toilet paper 🤣
Hej Matti, love your videos as always.. off-topic, did you get your cheek spot checked by a dermatologist ? Looks like a carcinoma, it got bigger from video to video. Just saying. Peace 🙏🏻
Thanks! I appreciate your direct communication!!! 😀 The spot is something I’m treating. Maybe I should make a video about it… It’s anyway under control. There will be a video… ;-) /Matti
I think all of y'all that use wood to heat your tents are either a glutton for punishment or crazy. Maybe both. Getting up every two hours, that was not fun nursing babies. I can't imagine doing all of that for a fire. I would be exhausted and grumpy. I have electric heater for electric sites and a planar diesel heater for wild camping. I really, really need to sleep camping. Edited to add: That looks like a nice tent though! Edited one more time to add: Being picky about skills is a good thing. It means you're that much less likely to die from something careless or worse, stupid.
That was a different point of view ! Hahahaha... I choose to not get the inner tent. ;-) It's really good enough (Luxury tent) with just the floor. / Matti